GoToSocial Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

GoToSocial hosting on xCloud gives you a self-hosted ActivityPub social server on your own domain. Deploy GoToSocial and xCloud runs the pinned official image as one container, publishes it over HTTPS, creates the administrator from the username, email and password you set, and keeps the SQLite database and local media on one persistent volume. Sign in at the settings page, configure the instance profile, then post from a Mastodon-compatible client.

Deploy your GoToSocial

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is GoToSocial?

Self-hosted GoToSocial is an ActivityPub social network server written in Go. Upstream says it lets you keep in touch with friends, post, and read and share images and articles without being tracked or advertised to. It speaks a Mastodon-compatible client API and is a backend-first design, so it is an alternative to running a Mastodon server of your own. Upstream labels it beta software and lists known issues, so read them first.

On xCloud the template runs superseriousbusiness/gotosocial 0.20.0, pinned by digest, as one container with SQLite. The gotosocial_data volume holds the database, local media and instance keys. The administrator is created at install from the username, email and password you enter. Public registration and outbound email are off in this baseline, and the hostname is a federation identity that must stay stable.

From Sign-Up to a Live GoToSocial Instance In Just 3 Easy Steps

Self-hosting an ActivityPub server normally means a container, a database file, an administrator account, a domain and a certificate before a single post goes out. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick GoToSocial from the OneClick catalog. Enter the site title, domain, an administrator username and an administrator email.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the official immutable GoToSocial 0.20.0 multi-architecture image, provision your administrator account, mount the persistent data volume and publish it over HTTPS on your domain, with the application port kept on localhost.
Step 03
Sign In And Post
Open the GoToSocial settings interface and sign in with the administrator credentials xCloud shows you. Review your profile and instance settings, then create your first local post.

A Single User Fediverse Server: Everything GoToSocial Does

GoToSocial runs in full here — a lightweight, federated ActivityPub server, on infrastructure you control.

Federated ActivityPub Server
Run a social server that speaks ActivityPub and, per upstream, federates cleanly with many other fediverse servers (not yet all) while it is in beta.
Official Multi-Architecture Image
Deployed from the official immutable GoToSocial 0.20.0 image, built for the platform your server actually runs.
Provisioned Administrator
Sign in with an administrator account the install already created and promoted, instead of setting one up by hand in a container shell.
One Data Volume, One Backup Boundary
The SQLite database, configuration state and locally stored media all live together, so one backup covers all of it.
Localhost-Only Application Port
Only the web application is exposed through xCloud-managed HTTPS — the application port itself stays on localhost.
Restart-Safe By Design
Administrator access and your posts persist across xCloud Restart actions instead of resetting with the container.

Everything You Need To Run Your Fediverse Presence 24/7

Managed hosting for GoToSocial, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

GoToSocial 0.20.0 deployed instantly
Official multi-architecture image
Administrator provisioned for you
App port bound to localhost
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With GoToSocial

A personal presence on the fediverse
A person keeps their own handle on their own domain, posts from a Mastodon-compatible client and follows accounts on other ActivityPub servers.
A small private instance
A family or friend group runs one instance on the SQLite baseline, which the template README describes as intended for small instances.
Moderation and profile control
An admin signs in at the settings page to set the instance profile and moderation rules, rather than accepting another server's policies.
Keep your posts and media on your server
An owner stores the database and local media on a persistent volume they can back up and move, instead of leaving them with a third-party host.

GoToSocial vs Alternatives

Mastodon: Mastodon has its own OneClick page. Considering a GoToSocial alternative to Mastodon? GoToSocial vs Mastodon is a choice of server: both speak ActivityPub, and GoToSocial runs here as one container on SQLite.
Misskey: Misskey is another fediverse server with its own OneClick page. GoToSocial implements a Mastodon-compatible client API, so you post from clients that already speak it.
Joining someone else's server: A shared server is run by its own admin. With GoToSocial the domain, profile, moderation settings and data are yours, on your own Cloud VPS.
Ad-supported social networks: Upstream describes GoToSocial as a way to post and share without being tracked or advertised to, on a server you run yourself.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for GoToSocial hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

GoToSocial alongside other services on the same box.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Cloud VPS 24 GB

GoToSocial alongside a whole self-hosted stack.

$84.99per month

24 GB RAM
8 vCPU cores
300 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. GoToSocial itself is free under the GNU AGPL-3.0.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy GoToSocial on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

Start free

Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

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Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Run Your Own Corner Of The Fediverse?

GoToSocial on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Is GoToSocial free and open source?

Yes. GoToSocial 0.20.0 is AGPL-3.0-or-later, so anyone can read and run the code without a licence fee. The xCloud charge covers the dedicated Cloud VPS only. This template does not add a paid tier, a hosted-only feature or a different build of GoToSocial.

Can I run GoToSocial with Docker?

Yes, and this template is GoToSocial Docker hosting without the assembly. It starts the superseriousbusiness/gotosocial 0.20.0 image, pinned by digest, as one container, proxies port 8080 behind HTTPS and mounts the gotosocial_data volume at /gotosocial/storage.

How much RAM does GoToSocial need?

Per the manifest, 1 GB of RAM, one core and 10 GB of disk is the floor. We sell the 6 GB Cloud VPS for a GoToSocial cloud install. Media volume, federation traffic and retention settings decide real needs, and the SQLite baseline suits small instances.

Is GoToSocial a replacement for Mastodon?

It is a different server for the same network. Both speak ActivityPub, and GoToSocial offers a Mastodon-compatible client API. Upstream labels it beta, federating cleanly with many but not all servers, with features still missing, so check its known issues before moving an account.

Which apps work with GoToSocial?

Mastodon-compatible clients, which the template README names for publishing your first post. Upstream describes a backend-first design with a Mastodon client API, so pick the client you like. The instance also has a settings interface for the administrator.

Can I create the first GoToSocial account?

Yes. The install form creates the administrator, using the username, email and password you enter, and that username becomes the local fediverse handle. Public registration is not enabled in this baseline, so other people cannot sign up until you change the policy.

Does GoToSocial include a web client?

It includes a settings interface at the settings path, where the administrator signs in with the install email and password. Day-to-day posting is meant for a Mastodon-compatible client, because upstream is backend-first. The template README says a web interface is available in this release.

How do I back up GoToSocial?

Back up the whole gotosocial_data volume as one unit. It holds the SQLite database, local media and the generated instance keys. Stop the container first so the database and media agree, restore everything together, keep the same hostname, and test a restore before relying on it.

Backup and Restore Docker Apps

How do I update GoToSocial?

Your install stays on its pinned 0.20.0 version until you adopt a newer template version. Back up the gotosocial_data volume first, read the upstream release and migration notes, then adopt the newer version and check settings login, local posts, media and federation.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.